For the third consecutive year, Universidad de Santiago is the only Chilean institution participating at a new version of the National Model United Nations, a forum that gathers together more than five thousand students from different countries in a simulation of the UN main activities. Twenty undergraduate and graduate students at the International Studies Program travelled on March 18th to New York to participate in the activity that will be held between March 22nd- 26th.
Thirteen students at the Bachelor’s Program in International Studies and seven students at the Master’s Program in International Studies will attend the National Model United Nations forum organized at the UN headquarters. The purpose of the activity is to give new professionals a glimpse into the work done by this international organization.
The activity will be held in New York between March 22nd-26th and it will bring together more than five thousand students from different countries. They will be able to replicate the operating model of different UN bodies, like the Security Council, for example, by representing other States.
In the case of our University students, the will represent France in the Security Council, and Finland, in different UN programs and funds, like UNICEF, UNHCR or UNDP.
Mabel Cobos- who is currently completing her dissertation for her Master’s degree in International Studies- is coordinating this activity and this is the third time that she takes part in the project. The first time she participated as a delegate of the Master’s Program in International Studies, when an academic at Long Island University (USA) prompted students to join this activity. This time, in order to promote an outstanding performance among the participating students, she conducted a training workshop since June last year, in the context of a Teaching Innovation Project.
“It is very important for students to attend this type of activity, because more than five thousand people from Europe, USA and Asia are taking part in it; it is also a way of positioning Universidad de Santiago de Chile at a regional and international level. We were the first university of the Southern Cone to participate, and at a Latin American level, few countries participate, like Ecuador, Venezuela, Guatemala, Mexico and Brazil, a country that joined the activity last year,” Ms Cobos says.
Also, Mabel Cobos highlights the possibility that students are given to make use of their theoretical knowledge and abilities. “This forum is a simulation of what the UN and diplomats do at studying foreign policy guidelines and history of the country to be represented, as well as English language, to take part then in the debate. This allows them (students) not only to speak about cooperation and multilateralism but to also to act making resolutions, working in teams and developing partnerships. In this way, students develop soft skills that are difficult to develop in the classroom setting,” she says.
“We have been pioneers in this sense and the University has gained prestige because of this,” she added. Ms Cobos also explains that the best teams receive awards and our university teams have already received them in previous versions of the forum.
Prepared for good results
This year, the number of participants has increased to 20 students. Thirteen of them are students at the Bachelor’s Program in International Studies given by the Faculty of Humanities. Catalina Rodríguez, one of the students at this program who will participate in the forum, recognizes that she has high expectations of her performance, “because we have prepared ourselves to stand out and to bring recognition to our program and our university.” She expects her group to receive acknowledgement for their work, just like it happened last year, when students of our university received “position papers” awards. Catalina values the possibility of participating in this activity and capitalizing on experience in the field of international relations.
Jaime Rojas is a student at the same program. He expects to have a good performance thanks to the training they received in an eight-month workshop, in which they were able to study in depth the work done by the different UN bodies and funds, with professors of the Department of History and the Institute for Advanced Studies (IDEA, in Spanish). “We have made simulations and we are ready to bring recognition to our university and our country, because we are the only Chilean higher-education institution participating. It is also an opportunity to grow and position ourselves both at a national and international level,” he says.
Translated by Marcela Contreras